


Unforgettably Gone

by mausipluto



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King, Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: 16-17 year old losers and party, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coming Out, Eddie lives with the Byers, Established Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Established Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Minor Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Minor Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Period-Typical Homophobia, Road Trips...kinda?, Running Away, Siblings Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, minor hurt/comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28607457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mausipluto/pseuds/mausipluto
Summary: Eddie has been missing for two years, completely untraceable. Until suddenly he's not.or... The Losers go on a road trip but make a pitstop in Indiana. To their surprise, they find Eddie living there after he ran away.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	Unforgettably Gone

_11:59 pm_

_Tonight is the night._ Eddie thought as he dumped his backpack's contents out onto his bed, textbooks and folders tumbling onto the plush surface. _Tonight is the night I'm finally fucking free from her._

He checked inside his bag to make sure no stray school supplies lingered in it before he began stuffing his folded clothes inside. Eddie had been waiting for this night since the day he learned his mother had been lying to him. He wasn't sick. He wasn't allergic to anything. He wasn't his mother's fragile little "Eddie-bear". And he had finally had enough. For a few weeks now Eddie had been preparing to run away. 

He saved up allowance money, stocked up on snacks, and sorted out which clothes he should bring. He had sorted out almost everything he needed to escape. All Eddie was missing was a place to go. But that wasn’t going to stop him from leaving tonight, he couldn't explain it but he _had_ to go tonight. There was no other time this perfect. So, he let the rage he felt towards his mother fuel him as he continued to stuff his backpack with supplies. All the essentials were packed: His toothbrush, a couple hundred dollars in cash, plenty of extra pairs of underwear--Eddie was prepared. He even made sure to bring a pair of sneakers up into his room earlier that day, having to hide them so his mother wouldn't pop a nerve over how he was "giving germs a breeding ground in his room". That idea alone would have been enough for old Eddie to back out of this. But he was stronger now. Despite how the idea of a germ breeding ground made his skin crawl, Eddie considered bringing his shoes into his room to be a small victory against the tyrant that was his mother.

Eddie pulled on the sneakers and fumbled around in his closet to grab a jacket. His mother always scolded him for not wearing enough layers when it got colder so his hands lingered over a thick grey parka that hung alongside his collared shirts. For a moment Eddie debated taking something lighter, it would be easier to move in and be another escape from his mother's control, but his conscience beat him out. _It's already late October it would be stupid of me to wear something thin._ Eddie tried to rationalize with himself. _It's not her control, it's common sense!_ _No point running away if I’m going to get hypothermia five minutes in._

Pulling the parka from its hanger, Eddie moved to toss it onto his bed. He turned back to the closet and reached up to grab at a box placed on a high shelf. It fell into his hands rather loudly which caused Eddie to stiffen up and go dead quiet, listening to see if it woke his mother up. Luckily, there was no indication of her stirring so Eddie moved to put the box on his bed. Carefully, he removed the top and set it aside. From the box, he pulled two polaroids and a Hawaiian shirt that was too big for him. Eddie took a moment to look at the polaroids, letting the shirt lay on his bed. The top polaroid was a group photo of all the Losers huddled together with big grins on their faces. It was from their first day of high school together; the photo caused a smile to break out on Eddie’s face. With a swift move, Eddie switched the photos to look at the second one. His breath hitched for a moment, eyes searching the picture with longing.

“I’m sorry” Eddie mumbled softly looking at the picture. Squished into the frame were Richie and Eddie, Richie’s arm slung around Eddie’s shoulder. He looked directly into the camera giving it his signature grin. Eddie was staring, lovestruck.

For a brief moment, Eddie doubted his decision. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to run away. Maybe he could stick out living with his mother for another two years if it meant getting to stay with his friends. _With Richie_. But the thought left his head the moment it entered. His friends wouldn't want him there if they knew what he really was anyway. Richie wouldn't want him there if he knew what Eddie really thought of him. The thoughts he had _about_ him. 

Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Eddie put the polaroids into the front pocket of his shirt. _To keep them over my heart._ Eddie thought to himself. He scrunched his nose realizing how cheesy that was, but made no move to take the photos out. Instead, he lifted the Hawaiian shirt that he had been clutching in his hand and glanced at the collar. _R. Tozier_ had been scrawled on the tag in sharpie. Eddie's grip on the shirt tightened and a frown crossed his face. Another reminder of just how fucked he was. Richie had let him borrow the shirt and Eddie had yet to return it. _I shouldn't have this. He probably wants it back._ A second or two passed. Eddie stuffed the shirt into his bag.

Double-checking all his belongings, Eddie made sure he was all set to leave. He thought about leaving a note but decided against it, not wanting to waste more time. A quick pat against his chest pocket to assure the photos were safe gave him the final cue to leave. Slipping his parka and backpack on, Eddie walked over to his window. He wrenched it open, peering down to the ground below. Without a second glance, Eddie climbed out of the window and jumped out.

A soft thud sounded out when Eddie’s feet hit the dark lawn. He crept over to a set of bushes and pulled his bike out from inside of them, taking a few minutes to brush off all the dirt he could. Getting better at handling germs didn’t mean he was suddenly okay sitting on a dirt-covered bike seat. He wheeled his bike out onto the street and turned on the flashlight he had taped to the handlebars in preparation for tonight. Eddie hopped onto his bike and started down the street. Stopping for a moment in front of Richie’s house, he looked up to his friend’s bedroom window. The temptation to tell Richie he was leaving flooded through his body. He should at least tell _someone_ that he was leaving, shouldn’t he? _No. That would just cause more problems in the plan._ Through tears he didn’t realize he had cried Eddie choked out a soft goodbye and left. No trace left behind.

\----- 

It was just about 6:30 in the morning when Eddie reached Bangor. He was surprised he even made it that far given its distance from Derry. The ride hadn't been too bad, Eddie made sure to take lots of breaks and even stopped by a 24-hour gas station for a quick piss during the trip. Don't get it wrong, biking for six hours was fucking AWFUL, but the pride he felt knowing that he had made it so far was overriding the burning sensation in his legs. 

Eddie dumped his bike behind a building and wandered through the waking city, trying to find some sort of bus station or anything that could get him out of Maine. He knew his mother would be awake by 7 and realize her son was missing. Probably scream and cry while calling the police demanding a search party. Even if there was only a small chance they would even come looking in Bangor, Eddie wanted to get out of Maine as soon as possible. There was no real destination (Eddie hadn't thought that far) he just knew he needed _out_. So when Eddie stumbled upon a greyhound station with tickets to Indiana he bought them the second he could.

The bus arrived at 7'oclock sharp and Eddie was one of the first people on board. He took a seat near the back and finally let himself relax. The sense of calm that surrounded him in the plush greyhound seat was quickly shattered at the realization of everything finally hit. Eddie ran away. He was in the city hours away from his home about to depart to Indiana. Eddie started to hyperventilate. His hands fumbled for an inhaler that he had tucked into the pocket of his bag, for emergencies. Was this really the best idea? He was leaving all his friends behind, without even letting them know. They would wake up this morning, go to school, and wonder "Where's Eddie?" thinking he was probably just home, sick, and knowing none the wiser. Eddie let his resolve crumble, he was tired, in pain, and acutely aware of just how germ-filled the bus was. He had no plan, limited money, and maybe a week's worth of clothes.

Thinking about the clothes in his bag, Eddie unzipped it and pulled out Richie's shirt. He held it close to his chest and hid his face in it, setting out a small sob. _Fuck. I'm sorry._ _I'm sorry but- But I need to do this._ No matter how much it hurt this was the best choice. Eddie wiped his eyes as the greyhound started up, pulling away from the stop. He sat staring out the window and thinking about how strange he must look. A dirty, tired, 16-year-old boy riding alone across states.

\-----

The greyhound ride took almost 18 hours. Originally Eddie meant to go all the way to Indianapolis (that was the exact destination of the bus Eddie had learned) but the bus made a stop near the end that Eddie just couldn't help but get off at. It was pitch black outside, already midnight by the time Eddie arrived. But even so late at night, Eddie could see that it was a small town, just a bit bigger than Derry. Eddie felt drawn to it. It had a similar feeling to Derry, something familiar that Eddie desperately needed in that moment. When the bus had stopped he grabbed his bag and stuffed Richie's shirt back into it. Eddie had kept it out the entire ride, holding tight to it even in his sleep. Climbing off the bus was refreshing. While he had improved on his hypochondriac issues, Eddie still got unnerved by public facilities, especially ones in the city. They were just so grimy and germ-infested he couldn't help but feel gross. Being back in the fresh air was a godsend and Eddie let out a sigh of relief. 

The bus stop was dimly lit by a few street lights and hosted a little bench with a small roof on top. As the greyhound pulled away to continue its trip Eddie sat down on the bench and leaned against the back wall. 

"Guess I'll just sleep here" Eddie muttered to himself unenthusiastically. His eyes fluttered shut and he fell asleep clutching his backpack. It had officially been 24 hours since Eddie ran away.

\-----

Eddie woke up to the sun in his eyes. He blinked a few times and looked around, trying to remember where he was. _Right, I’m not home. I'm in Indiana now._ He slowly stood up, stretching out his stiff body. Sleeping at a bus stop was _not_ a good choice. With a pained noise, Eddie began walking towards the town, slinging his backpack onto his back. Absentmindedly, he reached up to his breast pocket and felt for the polaroids that sat within. The tension in his shoulds eased a bit as he felt the familiar shape of the photos against his chest.

The walk into the town was short and despite being a completely new place Eddie felt very calm. He quickly peeked into a storefront window and looked at a large display clock that read 7:00 am. Eddie blinked for a moment before realizing that it was fall so the sun rose a lot later in the day. He had been too preoccupied in his own head to realize how the days went by as of late. Since it was already 7 most of the stores were open, hopefully, one of them would let Eddie use their bathroom. He hadn't gone since he was in Bangor. There was a bathroom on the greyhound but there was no way in hell Eddie was going to use that _._ Very quickly Eddie came up to a store called Melvald's General Store. He swung the door open and stepped inside, relishing in the heating of the building.

"Welcome, good morning!" A female voice called from a counter not far from the door.

She sported a cheery smile that was pointed at Eddie as he slowly approached her. "Anything I can help you with young man?" Her name tag read _Joyce_.

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea stuck in my head for like two months now so I have to write it before I go insane.


End file.
